The black sun hangs high

Chapter 147 The Devout
I don't think I've offended you in any way, have I?

Feeling somewhat guilty under Princess Sofia's gaze, Hughes felt a little guilty.

Although it happened many days ago, the blue-winged raven that suddenly barged into his bedroom in the middle of the night still left a deep impression on him.

After all, to this day, there is no evidence to suggest that it was an ordinary raven.

However, no matter what doubts he had in his heart, Hughes could not let them show on his face. He maintained his original expression and demeanor and bowed to Princess Sophia: "I apologize, Your Highness, for taking too long at the Medical Academy this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Princess Sophia's gaze softened considerably, and she nodded to Hugh: "I see... Yes, I understand."

She straightened up, rising from the magical instrument base she had been using as a chair, and slightly tucked the interrogation record in her hand toward her body: "Mr. Hugh, I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to thank you in person... Your discovery with Miss Verin beneath Ernst Manor has opened up a crucial breakthrough for us, and the progress of many affairs within the Kingdom of Wotel now depends on it."

As she spoke, a smile appeared on her face: "The kingdom has decided to commend you two."

"A commendation?"

"Yes, but because these matters are not suitable for public disclosure at the moment, the royal family cannot hold an award ceremony for you directly, but the medals symbolizing the honor of Water will still be delivered to you... Of course, there will also be other rewards."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"You deserve this."

Princess Sofia waved her hand. Since arriving here, this man had been cautious and careful in every action and word. While these behaviors could be seen as respect from subjects and nobles for the royal family, they could also be interpreted as vigilance and wariness.

This made Sofia slightly unhappy.

However, the immediate matter at hand quickly overshadowed this insignificant emotion in her heart, so she turned her head and nodded to Butler Finn beside her.

The latter immediately raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The immense magical power instantly bypassed the suppression and blockade of the magic silver in the interrogation room and quickly constructed magical runes. Under the flashing magical light, a complete set of tables and chairs was constructed from magic and placed directly in front of Hugh and Sophia.

After the two took their seats, a magical barrier was erected in front of the cage, thus creating a temporary "meeting room" for them.

"Mr. Hugh must have heard about the situation on his way here, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness, Butler Finn has already given me a brief introduction."

Once the formal conversation began, the magic within Hugh's body immediately entered a state of orderly and gentle flow. This inexhaustible power allowed him to keep his mind clear and his emotions stable to the maximum extent.

Meanwhile, all the "advisors" hidden deep inside the disc rat's burrow were also notified. They emerged from their burrows, gathered around the fast-sleeping, running rat, and began to listen to the conversation, ready to offer advice and guidance to Hugh at any time.

"In that case, I won't explain any further."

Princess Sofia nodded and said, "Mr. Hugh, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this whole series of events, from Merlinle's and the Legal Committee's willingness to negotiate to today's shelling. What are your views on this?"

Hughes hesitated for two seconds before speaking, “Your Highness, I would like to confirm something first.”

"You said."

"Did the monks representing Merlinle mention the Black Sun Society during their visit?"

The first question posed by Hughes made Princess Sophia raise an eyebrow. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously: "Yes, they mentioned it, and even claimed that Merlinle has established a department specifically for researching and dealing with the Black Sun Society. I heard it was directly reorganized from the Sword-Wielding Hermits organization... From this perspective, Merlinle's attitude towards the Black Sun Society is more inclined towards elimination and extermination."

Hearing this, Hugh frowned: "Then, what about the origins of the Black Sun Society? Doesn't Merlinler care why these 'wild mages' of the Black Sun Society gathered here?"

"They should be concerned about this, but Mr. Hugh, you should know that the mages of Merlinle and his mages have always had a very simple approach to solving all problems, from the past to the present."

Princess Sophia raised her hand and made a cutting gesture: "They are used to solving problems at their root, so their attitude towards the Black Sun Society is 'eradication.' They believe that as long as they can get the cooperation of the royal families and governments of the various kingdoms, they can quickly remove most of the Black Sun Society's data points in Vaan. Once this is achieved, the power of the Black Sun Society will directly fall back to the level of an ordinary wild mage society."

After speaking, Sophia tilted her head: "What are your thoughts on their actions and viewpoints, Mr. Hugh?"

I don't think it will work.

Hugh's answer was decisive and quick, which surprised Princess Sofia.

So she pressed further: "What is it that Mr. Hugh is not optimistic about? Is it the Legal Committee's strategy or its capabilities?"

"I am not optimistic about anything related to the Black Sun Society right now."

On this issue, Hugh decided to speak frankly: "The Black Sun Society has never been a wild mage society or organization, so any methods or approaches used against wild mage societies are absolutely inapplicable to them... The Legal Committee may have realized this, but they have clearly not taken it seriously enough, and they have acted too late."

Finn, standing to the side, twitched his lips slightly. As the royal butler, he wanted to remind Hugh to watch his words and show respect to the royal family. However, Princess Sophia, sitting opposite Hugh, didn't seem to care much about this—she did indeed prefer a more direct approach to communication.

But at that moment, Hugh suddenly turned around and looked at me: "Butler Finn, when you told me those things before, you must have been hiding some things from me, right?"

"Oh? You mean?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the mage representatives from Merlinle and his party not only brought the negotiating demands and the compromised trade agreements on the table this time, but also made some other demands... demands concerning the Black Sun Society."

“A precise judgment, Mr. Hugh.”

Princess Sofia nodded: "The Legal Committee hopes to establish a new cooperation mechanism specifically for thoroughly investigating members of the Black Sun Society hidden within various countries. They believe that this society has infiltrated political figures and even royal families in various countries... The Kingdom of Saint Steel is the best example."

“If that’s the case, then everything that happened today makes sense.” Hugh sighed. “Your Highness, I’ve always thought that the members of the Black Sun Society are all madmen. They don’t care about profit, scholarship, or their own lives. The goals they strive for are incomprehensible to ordinary people… But if any person or country thinks that the Black Sun Society is a force that can be used, they are wrong.”

This statement clearly has a rather broad scope.

In fact, Hugh also knew that the Walter royal family, and even the entire Lovi Plateau, its nations, powers, and organizations, had probably had some contact with the Black Sun Society. Even the successful break between the Mage Council and Merlinle might have involved the Black Sun Society.

On this matter, Hugh changed his previous cautious approach and directly expressed his views and judgments on the Black Sun Society: "The Black Sun Society itself is not scary. Even if its members are really crazy people who aim to destroy humanity, they are not to be feared. But the faith and power behind them are enough to quickly erode and influence the mind of an ordinary person."

Hughes raised his hand and pointed to the cage behind the magical barrier: "I have always had full confidence in the will of the Wotel soldiers, and I suppose Your Highness feels the same way? But the fact is, a city defense officer in an important position has been corrupted without anyone noticing... But such a pawn is not very important in the eyes of the Black Sun Society. They have no intention of destroying Borden's city defenses; they only want to further advance the war and block all potential alliances."

Hugh's words plunged the princess across the table into deep thought.

After an unknown amount of time, Sophia raised her head.

Her gaze fixed on him: "Mr. Hugh, have you ever considered becoming a consultant? I mean, my personal consultant."

This question startled Hughes and caused him to hesitate briefly.

However, Princess Sofia then laughed: "This time, Mr. Hugh doesn't need to be in a hurry... I won't give you a time limit. You can tell me whenever you have an answer, and I will respond to you as soon as possible."

As she spoke, she stood up and said, "Finn, let Mr. Hugh take a look at the prisoner. Perhaps he can get some valuable information out of him."

With another crisp snap of the fingers, the magical barrier that had separated the cage vanished instantly.

Hughes took the interrogation report that Princess Sophia pushed towards him, quickly flipped through it a couple of times, and then stood up and walked toward the cage.

This was, in fact, the first time Hugh had ever had a direct conversation with a member of the Black Sun Society who seemed perfectly normal.

The man chained here by magical chains and silver shackles was the artillery officer Finn had mentioned earlier. His rank was also major, the same as Alfred's. According to the information provided in the report, this officer was not of noble birth; he rose through the ranks from commoner to commoner. He had participated in several important battles against the highland ogres in the Second Artillery Regiment, and was promoted after distinguishing himself on the battlefield. Only after passing the military academy's examination did he finally achieve his current position.

In the eyes of the average Walter, such a resume would be absolutely brilliant.

An ordinary person, through his own efforts, stood out from the legion and successfully defeated the noble sons of the Leland District in the competition, eventually obtaining the rank of city defense artillery officer... In any country, this is a typical case of a commoner's success through hard work.

According to the report, he also has a wife and two children.

His wife works in a military uniform workshop in the workshop district, where she is currently the foreman of a group of female workers.

His son is only eight years old, while his slightly older daughter has good magical talent and has entered a magic academy for formal study with the support of the military. If nothing unexpected happens, she will become an excellent council member or a military mage in the future.

No matter how you look at it, this is a very nice family.

"Mr. Bellis, can you hear me?"

Hughes stood in front of the cage and asked a question.

Hearing someone call his name, the officer in the cage slowly raised his head. His face was extremely pale, his lips were cracked and bloodless, and his eyes were filled with confusion and chaos—signs of a mental attack by magic.

Clearly, this Bellis officer had already undergone an interrogation process akin to spiritual questioning after being brought here. Perhaps in preparation for Hugh's arrival, or perhaps to avoid completely driving him insane, the intensity of this interrogation was limited, and thus he did not become as dull-witted as Morel, who was also in the dungeon.

As Hughes continued to ask questions, his consciousness seemed to be gradually returning to the officer's body, but he clearly didn't want to respond to the questions from the outside world, so he quickly lowered his head again.

Hughes sighed, then crouched down to bring his gaze level with the other man's head. He then asked, "Alright, Mr. Bellis, I won't ask about the tasks and missions the Society has given you... I want to ask, among the many gods, which one do you actually worship?"

Upon hearing these words, Bellis's body suddenly trembled.

Then Hugh's voice came in succession: "Is it the Earth Mother Goddess symbolizing abundance? Is it the embodiment of the ocean? Or... do you worship the black sun and the being that comes after it?"

If the previous words only touched Bellis somewhat, the following sentence made him raise his head.

His gaze fell on Hugh's face, and a strange expression immediately appeared on his face.

Horrified, shocked, or perhaps...

incredible?

After a moment of silence, Bellis suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Make them all get out! Everyone get out! I'm only talking to you! I'm only talking to you! No listening in with magic!"

Upon hearing this, Hugh turned around and gave Princess Sophia an inquiring look.

The latter nodded slowly, and after reminding Hugh to "be careful," he led Butler Finn out of the interrogation room and closed the heavy door behind him.

In the oppressive interrogation room, only Hugh and Officer Bellis remained.

Just as Hugh was about to ask a question, he saw Bellis suddenly struggle and kneel down on the ground, like a believer worshipping something. He pressed his face to the ground and kissed the cold floor forcefully.

"You've come, you've come... Our miracle! You really exist..."

(End of this chapter)